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Read MoreDown in the Skillet
Cowboy Slang Texans have a way of cutting consonants and lengthening vowels to speak our mind. Some people may assume we’re ignorant. I think we’re entertaining and somewhat lazy. For instance, we’ve shortened you all to y’all. Rather than converse in a lengthy explanation of our intentions and plans, we simply say, “I’m fixin’ to.” The listener has to fill in the intended task based on the previous...
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Read MoreNew Calves, Dairy Queen & Multiple Lives
As I waited for our Dairy Queen order, I checked my iPhone calendar. Today, Monday, deliver lunch to my husband who was tending to his cows. I’ll hop a ride with him while he makes his afternoon rounds keeping watch for spring photo opportunities. Tomorrow, Tuesday, it’s back to the day job office. I’d wear my best speaker suit and heels for a lunch at an exclusive dinner club in downtown Amarillo to talk...
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Read MoreOld Mobeetie
The Streets of Old Mobeetie “I think it was the hardest place I ever saw on the frontier except Cheyenne, Wyoming.” CHARLES GOODNIGHT As buffalo hunters migrated to the Texas Panhandle from Kansas, they established a camp in what is now Wheeler County. Dubbed ‘Hidetown’, on the banks of Sweetwater Creek which is the North Fork of the Red River, the town supported the thriving cattle ranches...
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Read MoreDedication Ceremony
Historical Marker Dedication for a Texas Cemetery Texas state historical markers are found in all 254 counties. I attended a dedication ceremony at the Williams Ranch Cemetery, near the little town of Mullin, where some of my Williams ancestors are buried. The ceremony was well attended by about 100 family, friends and local neighbors. This beautiful little cemetery is full of history, and I enjoyed...
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Read MoreWilliams Family Decendants Cemetery Dedication
WILLIAMS RANCH CEMETERY, MILLS COUNTY, TEXAS Williams Ranch is one of the oldest settlements in Mills County, Texas and near the town of Mullin, was home to some of my mother’s ancestors, both from the Williams and Chesser sides. My Uncle Luther Williams, along with members of the Association, have been working diligently to place an historical marker at the cemetery that is still there and which...
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Read MoreHistory Day
The tranquil atmosphere mutes the modern world as I walk into Pioneer Hall at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas. It’s so peaceful here, and in 285,000 square feet it’s easy to forget the tensions outside. Surrounded by the past, I’m spending the day with people who love history as much as I do. Students, teachers, and parents gathered at the museum this past...
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Read MoreTexas Sunrise
The month of January 2013 has begun with some amazing sunrises here in the Texas Panhandle. I thought you might like to see a few of them for yourself. There was never a night or a problem that could defeat SUNRISE or Hope. – B. Williams “There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of...
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Read MoreLongfellow’s Christmas Bells
The story and sorrow behind the words. by Natalie Bright A ‘spark’ for writers is the moment an idea is ignited in our mind. The actual words may appear that very moment as notes on a restaurant napkin, or it may be months from now. I have spark notes written on everything. Sticky notes, an essential tool for writers, completely covers the wall next to my desk. You just never know what those...
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Prairie Purview
Truck Cookies and Piles of Worms
“Traditions are the guideposts driven deep in our subconscious minds. The most powerful ones are those we can’t even describe, aren’t even aware of.” ELLEN GOODMAN “I’m putting a truck on mine,”...
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Hanging Garland
“Why are you hanging that stuff on the stairs?” my then curious fourth grader asked. The stuff was garland and I’d never really considered the why. My grandmother wrapped it around the small pillars in her dining...
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Sound Advice from a Texas Grandma
She was known as Clara Iylene (Shuffield) Williams, but I called her Maw. She...
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For the Love of Horse!
As a western writer, there’s no doubt that horses have an important...
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